Symbol of DiscriminatonI recently read in a leading magazine how after the civil war and even up to these times some people and some history books are in denial over the fact that the civil war was about slavery. This is despite President Lincoln stating this fact in his inaugural address before the outbreak of the war and everyone’s realization that slaves were the leading assets of commerce at the time in the USA.
I find that the word “discrimination’ be it racial, economic, based on gender, sexual orientation or illnesses is one that many people fear today and cannot face. The other night at a neighborhood meeting about ending full court basketball playing after over 25 years at a local park some were still smarting from the fact that last fall I had called it ‘discrimination.’ When you eliminate this recreational usage without consulting the people who use the basketball court or without giving them a chance to change some improper behavior what else can you call it.
The dictionary describes discrimination as the “distinct treatment of an individual or group to their disadvantage; treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit.” The youth and young adult were treated as a group to their disadvantage without ‘individual merit’.
Living with my deceased adult son who suffered a brain disease I learned, sadly, a lot about discrimination. Many of my friends now who are poor, ill, with past problem or all three suffer some form of discrimination. Many of the young adults who played full court basketball, especially the African adult males, suffer from discrimination constantly. I remember one of them telling me how he and his family and friends used to play basketball at a park on the southside. One day they came by and the rims on the backboards were gone. There were no complaints to them about behavior or anything else. One day after I talked with them at the local park they came by to find the rims allowing them to play basketball at this neighborhood park were also gone. What message does that send to our youth today?
When I was at the anti-militarism conference in Washington D.C. last week, I heard of tragic cases of discrimination against the peoples of Central and South America countries. Indigenous people who fought the discrimination frequently were tortured, disappeared and killed by the military with training and support from the USA.
All forms of discrimination need to be eliminated. But first we must become aware and admit ‘we discriminate’.
Comments
Dave Kruschke — 17 April 2011, 23:36
Yes, some people do believe that the Civil War was more complicated than just the issue of Slavery. Lincoln also said that if freeing slaves would preserve the Union, he’d do it. If NOT freeing the slave would preserve the Union, he’d do it. And if free some slaves while not freeing other slaves would preserve the Union, he’d do that.
Trying to dismiss or belittle other people’s ideas about the Civil War doesn’t add to your efforts to address present day discrimination. After all, suppose it turned out that you found out that Slavery wasn’t the only or even the main issue of the Civil War. Would this in any way reduce the suffering and injustices of slavery? Would this reduce any of your present concerns about discrimination? Of course not. Besides, the Industrial North that lacked slaves was devoted to centering commerce more towards Manufacturing (even though some still criticise manufacturing) and this was on a collision course with the value of Slaves (Eli Whitney and mechanized harvesting, etc). And of course the Manufacturing of the North even proved helpful in winning the Civil War. In short, I don’t think that your work rests on a particular cause of the Civil War…
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